Reporting by PMOI/MEK
Iran, February 20, 2021—Over 218,600 people have died of the novel coronavirus in 480 cities checkered across all of Iran’s 31 provinces, according to reports tallied by the Iranian opposition People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) as of Saturday afternoon local time, February 20. The official death toll declared by the regime stands at 59,409 around a third of the actual figure.
The coronavirus death toll in various provinces include: 52,201 in Tehran, 14,060 in Isfahan, 11,080 in Khuzestan, 9217 in Mazandaran, 8108 in West Azerbaijan, 7801 in Gilan, 5206 in Sistan & Baluchistan, 3363 in North Khorasan, 2380 in Zanjan, 2116 in South Khorasan, 1760 in Chaharmahal & Bakhtiari, and 1644 in Kohgiluyeh & Boyer Ahmad. This is in addition to reports obtained from other provinces.
Infographic-PMOI/MEK reports over 218,600 coronavirus (COVID-19) deaths in Iran
One year after the Covid-19 epidemic and around 220,000 victims, regime President Hassan Rouhani once again resorted to more lies on Saturday. “Since day one when we became aware of coronavirus’ entrance we immediately informed the public… There are some claims that the government kept people in the dark in order to hold elections, and that false numbers are provided to the people in this regard. These are nothing but lies,” he claimed.
It is worth noting that three days ago the head of the Medical Apparatus Organization’s High Council said, “Lack of transparency indicates weak management and low professional moral… Covid-19 entered the country in December 2019, but the official announcement came in March 2020,” this official said on February 18, according to the state controlled Eghtesad News outlet.
“During the past week, the number of Covid-19 deaths have increased in comparison to the week before. The highest number of new cases last week was reported in the provinces of Mazandaran and Khuzestan. The highest number of deaths were reported in the provinces of Mazandaran and Gilan,” said the spokesperson for the regime’s Health Ministry on Saturday.
Alireza Raisi, spokesperson of the regime’s National Covid-19 Task Force, expressed grave concerns on Saturday over the epidemic across all provinces, especially Khuzestan, describing the situation in this province as extremely dangerous. “During the next few days in this province we will be facing a shortage in available hospital beds. The UK strain is spreading across the country and we need to be extremely concerned and careful. In Tehran and Alborz provinces it appears we are in a period of calm prior to a storm. If we are not careful this virus will cause a crisis across the country,” he added, according to the Mehr news agency, an outlet linked to the regime's Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS).
“It appears the third wave in Tehran is upon us and considering the fact that Tehran remains one of the main epidemiologic epicenters of this illness it is necessary to take more serious measures across the city and all of Tehran province,” said Alireza Zali, head of the Tehran Covid-19 Task Force on Friday, according to state TV.
In Khuzestan, Deputy Health Minister Ghasem Jan-Babaie had concerning remarks on Friday regarding the new UK strain spreading across Khuzestan province. “The trend of new cases in this province is fast. The number of people being hospitalized have increased five or six-fold in comparison to three to four weeks ago. To this day we have added nearly 150 ICU beds in this province,” he said, according to state TV.
Deputy dean of Ahvaz Medical University said on Saturday that there are no ICU beds available in the city of Ahvaz in southwest Iran. While naming seven hospitals that are currently providing medical care for coronavirus patients, this official emphasized that it is “possible that these hospitals may not be able to provide the care needed… A one-year-old baby and a nine-year-old child in Khuzestan province lost their lives to the UK strain,” according to the Tasnim news agency, an outlet linked to the regime’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) Quds Force.
“Currently more than 60 percent of the cities and towns in Fars province are registered as yellow and relatively dangerous zones,” said the caretaker of medical care in Fars Medical Sciences University on Saturday. “Some areas of this province are about to become orange zones, and this is an increasing trend. There is a sense that we are going to be registered a highly dangerous area,” the official added, according to the semi-official ISNA news agency.
“The UK strain is behind the provincial gates. During the past few days, we have been witnessing an increasing number of new Covid-19 cases and deaths,” said the deputy dean of Lorestan Medical Sciences University on Saturday, according to the IRGC-linked Fars news agency.
Iran coronavirus outbreak death toll interactive map
